[Archived] Mental Health in the Workplace Event

City of Alexandria Hosts Mental Health in the Workplace Event
Encouraging Employers to Support Employee Health

For Immediate Release: April 18, 2018

With 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. experiencing a mental health disorder in any given year, mental health conditions certainly affect employees at work — a fact that is usually overlooked because these disorders tend to go unrecognized.

On May 16, the City is hosting Resilience: What Employers Need to Know about Mental Health in the Workplace from 8-9:30 a.m. at the Charles Houston Recreation Center located at 901 Wythe Street. Free on-site and street parking is available and coffee and donuts start at 7:30 a.m. Employers and other interested individuals are invited to attend.

Because of the stigma associated with experiencing a psychiatric condition, including those as common as anxiety and depression, employees may be reluctant to seek treatment out of fear that it may jeopardize their jobs. As a result, mental health disorders often go unrecognized and untreated — not only damaging an individual's health and career, but also reducing productivity at work. At the same time, employers may want to assist employees in addressing mental health issues but aren't sure how.

Join expert panelists in a discussion about improving mental health in the workplace. Guests include Darcy Gruttadaro of the Center on Workplace Mental Health, American Psychiatric Association Foundation; Jessie Joachim of the Inova Employee Assistance Program; Rob Krupicka, owner of Sugar Shack and Captain Gregory’s, former Delegate, VA State Assembly and former City Council member; and Rhonda Williams, a clinician with the Department of Community and Human Services.

This event is sponsored by the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria, Friends of the Alexandria Mental Health Center and the Department of Community and Human Services.

For more information contact Laurie Flynn, Chair of the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria’s Mental Health and Wellness Work Group, at laurieflynn212@gmail.com or 202.297.4554.  

The City of Alexandria is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, as amended. To request a reasonable accommodation, email maurice. tomdio@alexandriava.gov or call 571.384.5244, Virginia Relay 711.